Source: Flickr
As I made the trek into work this morning, I couldn't help but notice the neatly raked windrows of freshly mown hay as I attempted to see through the raindrops on my windshield. My mind naturally drifted to the fact that although the weather forecast was calling for mostly cloudy skies today, it looks like rain for the weekend - while my family should luck out this time around as we're making second cutting haylage today (which can withstand a higher moisture content), others in our area are likely to be baling and could be setting themselves up for a possible hay fire if not careful.
The necessary precautions are well documented to mitigate spontaneous combustion of baled hay, however we can all probably think of a friend or neighbor whose recently baled hay has either smoldered or caught fire. Hopefully, these incidences didn't escalate into a barn going up in flames, loss of equipment or livestock or even worse death of a loved one, but I thought it was worthwhile to offer this blog post as a reminder as we're currently dealing with wet conditions.
Not only does baling hay at moisture levels increase it's chances for spontaneous combustion, but it also increases the potential for molds and reduces the overall quality of the forage. For additional information on how the quality can be compromised, check out this article by Lester R Vough of University of Maryland titled Causes and Prevention of Spontaneous Combustion in Hay.
After baling, you should regularly check the temperature of your stacks and use the following guidelines:
- 150 Degrees F is the beginning of the danger zone - after this point check temperature daily
- 160 Degrees F is dangerous - Measure temperature every four hours and visually inspect the stack
- 175 Degrees F is when you should call the fire department. While waiting for their arrival, spray the hay with water and remove it from the barn or dismantle the stack away from buildings and other dry hay
- 185 Degrees F is when hot spots and pockets should be inspected in the stack. Flames will likely develop when heating hay comes into contact with the air (pockets may have already burnt our under the hay's surface - do not attempt to walk across the top of the pile, it could collapse)
- 212 Degrees F is critical! Temperatures rise rapidly above this point and the hay will almost certainly ignite
The temperature guidelines came from William Woodward of Washington State University, to learn more check out this article titled Spontaneous Combustion in Hay Stacks.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Article written by Kristin Taylor who is a farm and commercial agribusiness underwriter with the Western Region of Westfield’s AgriBusiness Division. She is located at the company’s headquarters in Westfield Center, Ohio and holds an underwriting responsibility for the states of Illinois and Iowa.
She is a graduate of Ashland University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in communications, specializing in English and journalism.
Kristin’s love of agriculture is strongly tied to her experience growing up on her family’s registered Jersey farm in north-central Ohio. Her posts focus on the dairy industry perspectives and Westfield’s rich history in farming and agribusiness insurance.
As a graduate of Ashland College with a BA in communications, specializing in English and journalism, I am surprised that she does not use her 'spell check' as a guide when she is writing articles of such importance. Other than that, I found the article interesting.
Posted by: Mary Pallone | 07/22/2010 at 04:43 PM
Mary, Thank you for your comment. I do take grammar seriously and appreciate your letting me know about the misspelling! I have made a few corrections and am glad you found the article interesting. If you have ideas for future topics please email me at grainsofknowledge@westfieldgrp.com or comment here. Thanks, Kristin
Posted by: Kristin Taylor | 07/22/2010 at 09:18 PM